Different styles of autos have been sold over the years. Hard top autos are the most common. The body of the auto can be viewed as one piece with a permanent hard top body panel extending over a driver and passenger seating area. Open-top autos are also well known. Most have a flexible canvas top which extends over the seating area, but additionally have the capability to be folded back to fully reveal the seating area. The canvas top can be on a frame assembly which itself is collapsible and can be retracted into a cavity of the auto. The canvas top can also be made to be manually removed and temporarily stored in a trunk area of the auto.
A limited number of autos have also been produced which have a half-hard top, variously referred to as targa tops, T-tops, and removable sun-roof tops. For example, a sports car of this type will have a rigid immovable back windshield and a canvas top which extends from a rigid front windshield to the rigid back windshield. The canvas top essentially covers the front seating area. It is attached to a frame of the auto by snap buttons or some other manually attaching means such that the canvas top is readily removed and reinstalled. A T-top auto has removable roof panels which are removed and temporarily stored to give an open-top auto. Autos with removable sun-roof tops are essentially the same in purpose and operation as the T-top autos. Still other auto styles are known which have a basic purpose of a removable roof to give the driver an open-air feel associated with a full convertible auto.
Some owners of certain auto makes desire to convert their auto from a hard top or half-hard top auto to a open-top auto. Generally, a more aesthetically pleasing or stylistic look is wanted. In accord with this need, there has now been developed a frame assembly for use in converting a hard top auto or half-hard top auto to an open-top auto. The frame assembly is readily attached to the auto with minimal alteration of the original auto. The conversion can be accomplished with ordinary skills and commonplace shop tools. The frame assembly of the invention permits a new look for the original auto.